Skip Hop Ladybird Backpack and Reins Review

I’ve seen loads of toddlers using these little backpacks strutting their stuff around town and now that Amelia is good at walking but not so good at holding hands I thought it would be a great idea to try one of these bags.

I chose the ladybird design by Skip Hop because it was girly without being glittery or over the top, I decided to try it on her right after paying for it as she was walking around and kept wandering off, as soon as I placed it on her back she threw herself down in the children’s department of John Lewis and lost her shit. I mean proper went for it, she screamed, kicked, rolled around and made a right old scene.

Needless to say I took it off her and wrestled her back into the pram to go home, thinking I had probably just wasted £18 but I really did want it to work as I was so worried about her walking with us and getting lost.

Over the next few days I let her play with it and wear it at home, we tried to walk with it around the streets at home and we made very small improvements. In the end I had to bring in reinforcements and ask the ladies at nursery to practice with her because I just wasn’t getting anywhere and I really wanted her to be happy using it by the time we went out for my birthday last month.

I think we turned the corner with it when she discovered she could fasten the clasp herself, although she can’t undo it yet which leads to us having to do it for her every 1o seconds but it keeps her quiet and happy to wear the bag.

We’re now at a stage where she is happy to wear it and happy to walk with it on and with you holding the reins but only for a couple of minutes and then she wants to be carried. I’m not entirely sure this is related to the bag, I think she’s just being a bit lazy and doesn’t want to walk.

So, as with every purchase, there are good and bad things, let’s lay them down here:

Things I like about it:

I love the design, there were others to choose from such as a monkey and a giraffe but this was the cutest and the most feminine without being over the top pink.

The rein strap is just the right length that she can’t wander off into the road, long enough to walk comfortably but she definitely can’t wander off.

It’s really lightweight, it took a little getting used to and probably felt really heavy on her back to begin with but it’s really not it doesn’t weigh much at all when empty.

The rein strap is detachable, you can take it off completely when you don’t need it and I’ve also found that clipping it to the front of the backpack was helpful in the beginning when Amelia was unsure of it.

Things I don’t like about it:

It doesn’t hold much, as much as I don’t want to load her up like a donkey it would be nice if she could carry some of her own things when she is bigger. The bag will just about hold her teddy and maybe a water bottle at best.

The front clasp is deceptively hard to undo, Amelia can clip it together in seconds but I find it really fiddly to undo especially when she is crying and fussing wanting to take it off. I suppose it is a safety measure so that the child can’t undo it themselves but it does make me question if I’m the adult here…

Overall I’m really pleased with it, it’s a lovely design and great quality. I’m encouraged that Amelia will be happy to walk with it if I keep encouraging her to do so and I most definitely didn’t waste my money.

If you would like to check out the whole Skip Hop range of backpacks, click here.

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